Trophies raised at the 2012 US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (July 15, 2012) –Champions were crowned and trophies raised at the 2012 US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup. Drama, disappointment and delight were all on displayat the Cherry Island Soccer Complex in Sacramento, Calif. Region IV led the way with five champions on the day. Region III claimed two titles and Region I claimed one.

2012 National Presidents Cup Champions

Under-14 Girls

NC Boca

CA-S

Under-15 Girls

GUSA Navy

NC

Under-16 Girls

Platinum FC Cleary

CA-S

Under-17 Girls

Arsenal Colorado Royal

CO

Under-14 Boys

Metuchen Rover Juniors

NJ

Under-15 Boys

FC Golden State White

CA-S

Under-16 Boys

United Strikers

N-TX

Under-17 Boys

Brasil Coachella

CA-S

Championship matches | Game recapsLittle separated Under-14 Girls NC Boca (CA-S) and JASA Coastal Surge (NC) on day one as that game ended in a 0-0 draw. Finals day was much the same as regulation ended at 0-0 and it took overtime to name a champion. In the just first minute of overtime, Katelynn Traver broke the stalemate and netted the game and tournament winner for NC Boca.

On the boys side of the draw was much the same. Metuchen Rover Juniors (NJ) had to beat their finals-day opponent Georgia Mountain YMCA (GA) Saturday to advance and did so convincingly. The championship was a much closer match. Defensive stops repeatedly thwarted offensive strikes at both ends of the field and the game entered overtime knotted at 0-0. Jake Longo played the hero as he struck in the 79th minute to claim the trophy for Metuchen.

It was another close game between Dallas Texans 97 (N-TX) and GUSA Navy (NC) as they met for the third time in a month, this time to decide the U-15 Presidents Cup champion. Despite being reduced to 10 players for much of the game, GUSA struck first on a Eynde Frazier goal in the 47th minute. Just three minutes later, the teams were back level thanks to Dallas Texans Connor MacKenzie. In overtime, Allexis Taylor netted her fourth and most important goal of the week to lift GUSA to victory. For her performance, Taylor was also named the Most Outstanding Player for the tournament.

In U-15 Boys Play, FC Golden State White (CA-S) avenged a day two loss to Rage Gunners 96 (E-PA) with a 3-0 victory in the final. After a scoreless first hour of play, Javier Jasso struck first for FC Golden State. With Rage Gunners pushing for an equalizer late in the game, FC Golden State scored twice more just before the final whistle on goals by Yezid Lopez and Edgar Esquivel.

Platinum FC Cleary (CA-S) came up with a championship performance when it counted in the U-16 Girls final. After falling to Houston Express 96 (S-TX) on the opening day of play, Platinum FC was victorious on Sunday. Just minutes after the whistle to begin the second half, tournament Most Outstanding Player Stacie Moran struck for Cal South, her fifth goal of the tournament. That goal was the difference on the day and earned Platinum FC the gold medals.

The U-16 Boys age group was closely fought all week and finals day was no different. LA Premier FC Black (CA-S) got an early lead over United Strikers (N-TX) as Nicholas Pereira struck in just the 8th minute. Pereira would double that lead just before the halftime whistle. United Strikers rallied back on a great individual effort by Oscar Gudiel in the 61st minute. Just three minutes later, his teammate Alfredo Molina struck a swerving free kick and leveled the game at 2. It took penalties to decide a winner, and United Strikers converted all its spot kicks to claim the title.

The U-17 Girls championship match pitted undefeated Crusaders (MA) and Arsenal Colorado Royal (CO). Arsenal made some tactical changes in hopes of reversing its 2-1 loss to Crusaders on day two and the changes paid off on Sunday. Alex Klema scored the lone goal on the day for Arsenal and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Keeper, Grace Ramsden led a strong defensive effort to ensure the shutout and the victory.

Emotions ran high between Brasil Coachella (CA-S) and Indiana Invaders Black (IN) as they met to decide the U-17 Boys National Presidents Cup title. Cal South Hugo Vinales was feared all week for his striking ability, and he proved the difference on the day for Brasil. Ten minutes into the second half, Vinales collected the ball in the final third, created space and bent the ball into the far post to claim the trophy for his team. Vinales also was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

The US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup is designed for those teams seeking additional challenges to play against teams of similar abilities for a national title. The cup provides a progressive, competitive experience to teams that might not otherwise get the opportunity to participate in a series of unique experiences highlighting competition, camaraderie and community from the state to regional to national levels of US Youth Soccer.